Paddington owners want ‘frightening’ Spitting Image puppet destroyed
Documents reveal further details of Paddington vs Spitting Image case
- Owners of Paddington Bear, including StudioCanal and relatives of author Michael Bond, are pursuing legal action against Avalon, the producer of satirical show Spitting Image.
- The High Court case in London alleges copyright infringement over Spitting Image's depiction of Paddington in four YouTube episodes and a musical trailer.
- Lawyers claim the Spitting Image puppet portrays Paddington with a "frightening demeanour", depicting him as a cocaine user, smuggler, alcoholic, heroin user, and promoter of gun sales and sex robots.
- The claimants argue the episodes use coarse language and a mocking Peruvian accent for the character, distorting the polite and well-meaning bear from the books.
- They are seeking an injunction, the destruction or delivery of the puppet, and potential damages, while Spitting Image co-writer Al Murray has expressed bafflement over the lawsuit.